As the communication is diversified, the telephone apparatus, such as button telephone apparatus, is intensified and variegated in function. The telephone apparatus having multiple functions is termed herein a multi-functional telephone apparatus. Also, the apparatus including the multi-functional telephone apparatus and configured for being control led using system data are collectively termed electronic apparatus. For evading abstractness in the description, however, a multi-functional telephone apparatus is explained as a specified example.
Among multi-functional telephone apparatus, a button telephone apparatus is taken as an example. A button telephone apparatus is an apparatus adapted for connecting plural button telephones to a line wire or having call over a private branch line. In installing the button telephone apparatus, a variety of functions need to be set. By way of examples, it is necessary to set a bell of which button telephone is to be rung when a telephone call is made from outside, which one of the button telephones is to be set as a telephone for a supervising personnel and which function is to be set for this telephone, or whether or not a certain button telephone is to be dedicated to a call over private branch line.
These settings, required for operation of the multi-functional telephone apparatus, is termed herein system data setting. If the multi-functional telephone apparatus is intensified in its functions, much time is consumed in system data setting when installing new apparatus or changing the setting environments. Thus, a number of proposals have been made in connection with system data setting.
For example, in JP Patent Kokai Publication JP-A-58-194490, a special system data setting apparatus having an interface equivalent to the conventional button telephone set is provided for writing system data in a button telephone apparatus. This system data setting apparatus (or operating data setting apparatus) has a storage component, such as a cassette magnetic tape, in which the system data are stored. In this proposal, this system data setting apparatus, in place of a button telephone set, can be connected to the button telephone apparatus, and is used for readily setting system data.
However, in this proposal, a dedicated system data setting apparatus needs to be provided. Also, system data memorized in a storage component, such as a cassette magnetic tape in this system data setting apparatus, is used. Consequently, such a problem is raised that, whilst the proposal is convenient when typical system data is used, difficulties are encountered in connection with flexible accommodation to individual systems.
FIG. 16 shows another proposal pertinent to system data setting. In this proposal, shown in JP Patent Kokai Publication JP-A-61-13898, the multi-functional telephone apparatus includes discriminating means 11 and processing means 12. The discriminating means 11 is adapted for inputting system data 13 and the registration number information 15 of a button telephone set 14 for setting the system data 13.
FIGS. 17 and 18 show two types of a display unit of the button telephone set 14 connected to the multi-functional telephone apparatus shown in FIG. 16. Of these, a display unit 21 shown in FIG. 17 is made up of a switch unit 23 having 20 button switches 221 to 2220 and display lamps 241 to 2420 arranged in the vicinity of the button switches 221 to 2220 in a one-to-one relation therewith. The display unit 21 has 20 button switches 221 to 2220 in order to cope with a larger number of line wires, amounting to 17 line wires at the maximum, and three special buttons.
A display unit 31 of the button telephone set, shown in FIG. 18, is made up of a switch unit 33, having an array of 10 button switches 321 to 3210, and display lamps 341 to 3410 arranged in the vicinity of the button switches 321 to 3210 in a one-to-one relation therewith. The display unit 31 has the 10 button switches 321 to 3210 in order to cope with a smaller number of line wires, that is not larger than 7 line wires, and three special buttons.
Reverting to FIG. 16, if the discriminating means 11 processes the system data 13, the data can be associated with e.g., 20 items, and the data is from the button telephone set 14 having the display unit 21 shown in FIG. 17, the data can be input at a time from this display unit 21 of the telephone set 14 having the 20 button switches 221 to 2220. That is, by registering the system data in a memory table 16 of the processing meansl2 and routing the registered confirmation data to the display unit 21 shown in FIG. 17 for selectively lighting associated ones of the 20 display lamps 241 to 2420, it is possible to confirm the operating contents of the 20 button switches 221 to 2220 of the button telephone set 14.
On the other hand, if the system data 13 are sent from the button telephone set 14 having the display unit 31 shown in FIG. 18, data of 10 items at the maximum, among 20 items of the system data 13, can be operated by the button switches 321 to 3210 for demonstration on display lamps 341 to 3410. Therefore, in this case, the 20 items of data are split into two portions and sent in two installments to the multi-functional telephone apparatus. The determining means11 includes a telephone number table 17 in its inside and discriminates, based on the registration number information 15 of the button telephone set 14, whether the button telephone set is of the type having the display unit 21 shown in FIG. 17 or of the type having the display unit 31 shown in FIG. 18. If the button telephone set is of the type having the display unit 21, the non-split system data 13 is received and confirmation data of 20 bits is also transmitted at a time to the button telephone set 14 for demonstration at a time on the 20 display lamps 241 to 2420.
Conversely, if the system data 13 are sent from the button telephone set 14 having the display unit 31 shown in FIG. 18, ten items of the system data 13 are received in two installments, whilst ten items of confirmation data are also transmitted in two installments to the button telephone set 14 for time-division demonstration on the display lamps 341 to 3410.
Meanwhile, in the proposal shown in this JP Patent Kokai Publication JP-A-61-13898, the button switches 221 to 2220 or the button switches 321 to 3210 are associated with the lamps 241 to 2420 or display lamps 341 to 3410, respectively. Recently, a telephone apparatus having a display such as a liquid crystal display is coming into extensive use (see, for example, JP Patent Kokai Publications JP-A-2-49078 or JP-A-6-54361). Thus, letters etc. so far demonstrated by a display lamp can now be demonstrated on this display.